By Stephen Crane - The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane (1972-06-16) [Paperback]

by Stephen Crane

Though he is best known for The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane was also a remarkable poet whose poetry is full of irony and paradox, yet is often gentle and compassionate. This is the definitive edition of his poetry, including all 135 poems, published and unpublished during his lifetime, as well as a substantial introduction by Joseph Katz.

According to the preface/introduction, written by Joseph Katz, this book "contains every poem known to have been written by Crane". Verses predominantly from The Black Rider and War is Kind demonstrate the American realist poet's use of irony.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fiction, Literature, 19th Century, American, College

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was an American novelist, poet and journalist, best known for the novel, The Red Badge of Courage. That work introduced the reading world to Crane's striking prose, a mix of impressionism, naturalism and symbolism. He died at age 28 in Badenweiler, Baden, Germany.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Lex]

poems about death and religion: 👍
poems about his break up: 👎

[Jon Von · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisiting some of my favorite poems, still glimmering and perfect. Some of these were not in my old paperback so it was nice to have a more complete collection. This edition, however, had at least one typo where the word “charity” becomes “chantry”, souring the line. So maybe grab a different one. (And the whole last 20% is ads). Such is the fate of the public domain. Still great stuff, the muck of the heart.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ran across this poem years ago and was hooked on Crane’s poetry.

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said: “Is it good, friend?”
“It is bitter—bitter,” he answered;
“But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart.”

Characteristically terse and pessimistic. It was interesting to read the complete works. (There are only 135 poems—Crane died at the age of 28 of TB.) His inward conflict with the plight of fallen man and his enmity with God permeates throughout, yet, notably, some of his verse is compassionate and insightful.

Random favorites:

I stood upon a high place,
And saw, below, many devils
Running, leaping,
And carousing in sin.
One looked up, grinning,
And said: “Comrade! Brother!”


A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”


Yes, I have a thousand tongues,
And nine and ninety-nine lie.
Though I strive to use the one,
It will make no melody at my will,
But is dead in my mouth.


Once there was a man,
Oh, so wise!
In all drink
He detected the bitter,
And in all touch
He found the sting.
At last he cried thus:
“There is nothing,--
No life,
No joy,
No pain,--
There is nothing save opinion,
And opinion be damned.”


There was One I met upon the road
Who looked at me with kind eyes.
He said: “Show me of your wares.”
And I did,
Holding forth one.
He said: “It is a sin.”
Then I held forth another.
He said: “It is a sin.”
Then I held forth another.
He said: “It is a sin.”
And so to the end.
Always He said: “”It is a sin.”
At last, I cried out:
But I have none other.”
He looked at me
With kinder eyes.
“Poor soul,” He said.


Behold, the grave of a wicked man,
And near it, a stern spirit.

There came a drooping maid with violets,
But the spirit grasped her arm.
“No flowers for him,” He said.
The maid wept:
“Ah, I loved him.”
But the spirit, grim and frowning:
“No flowers for him.”

Now, this is it—
If the spirit was just,
Why did the maid weep?


I met a seer.
He held in his hands
The book of wisdom.
“Sir,” I addressed him,
“Let me read.”
“Child—” he began.
“Sir,” I said,
“Think not that I am a child,
For already I know much
Of that which you hold.
Aye, much.”

He smiled.
Then he opened the book
And held it before me.
Strange that I should have grown so suddenly blind.

[Christi]

I finally went back and finished the second section of this book after a brief hiatus to finish another book I was reading. I mostly enjoyed the book but the first section..The Black Riders and Other Lines (1895) was definitely my favorite. A lot of the work was not what I would consider actual traditional poems..it was more observations about life and some mini fable/riddles. I really enjoyed this section because most of the work was easy for me to understand and I just loved his very astute observations about life. So much wisdom in one so young! The second section..War is Kind was more of a mixed bag for me. There were some parts I really loved..like the title poem WIK, one beginning..When the prophet, a complacent fat man.. and the long poem Intrigue. Intrigue in particular was one that I really enjoyed. A lot of the work in the second section was, I feel, more a testing of new styles and such for SC. Some of it worked for me and some of it just left me puzzled about what he was actually trying to say. This could just be me though. I usually have mixed success when reading a lot of poetry because I like things to be clearly discernible and so many poems just I feel go right over my head. I guess I'm just a bit of a literal thinker in some ways and this isn't a fault of the work per se, just a bit of a failure in my understanding..an inability to make the necessary mental leap. I also think it is worthwhile to read the introduction and also the biographical and other notes in the back of the book. I usually always read these anyways and think they do a good job of giving you a feel for SC and also putting his work in proper context. Sad that his life was cut so short. He definitely lived a lifetime in those few short years but it would have been interesting to see him grow and evolve as a writer. Highly recommended work.

[Ben Loory · Rating 5 out of 5]

just reread this. still the best.

A man saw a ball of gold in the sky;
He climbed for it,
And eventually he achieved it--
It was clay.

Now this is the strange part:
When the man went to the earth
And looked again,
Lo, there was the ball of gold.
Now this is the strange part:
It was a ball of gold.
Aye, by the heavens, it was a ball of gold.

[Aleksandr Stotland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really can do no justice to this often overlooked poet (most read "Red Badge of Courage" in High School, and then just forget about him, criminally ignoring America's second great Goth (Poe being first)and first Emo). Instead, I'll just post a poem of his (or two) to allow his work to speak for him.
1.
Once, I knew a fine song,
-- It is true, believe me --
It was all of birds,
And I held them in a basket;
When I opened the wicket,
Heavens! They all flew away.
I cried, "Come back, little thoughts!"
But they only laughed.
They flew on
Until they were as sand
Thrown between me and the sky.

2.
A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

3.
Places among the stars,
Soft gardens near the sun,
Keep your distant beauty;
Shed no beams upon my weak heart.
Since she is here
In a place of blackness,
Not your golden days
Nor your silver nights
Can call me to you.
Since she is here
In a place of blackness,
Here I stay and wait.

[Kristopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Crane is a strange poet. He is not, by many technical measures, great. Some might even argue he's not very good. I think he has a wonderful voice. His poems are quite personal, thought-provoking, aphoristic in quality, and will keep you thinking about God, human nature, war, sin, and redemption (well, less redemption and more sin and war). He has a really keen sense for turn of phrase that stays with you and drives his themes home. For instance, his poem "In the Desert" reads:

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter--bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."

You can see how he pulls no punches through usual poetic devices. He finds his ambiguity in content. I gave my copy to a student who really loved literature. I need to find a new one.

[Zach]

The exhaustive collection Crane's overlooked poetry. Always humane and unpretentious, many of these terse poems zero in on the heart of great truths.

You tell me this is God?
I tell you this is a printed list,
A burning candle, and an ass.

[Jessie (Zombie_likes_cake) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sit down dear people, brace yourselves: This unassuming collection contains my new favorite poem ever. 3 months ago I hadn't even heard of Stephen Crane. And then I read a rather mediocre short story collection in November that had THIS poem as its epigraph. I was smitten. Now having read it several times I am not simply smitten anymore, I want to sacrifice my soul to it, on a bloody altar ideally. To be clear, I wouldn't go as far and say Crane is my new favorite poet, it is mostly about that one poem, but he has a lot of interesting writing going on here, I liked reading the complete book but what has my heart in it grip is this one piece. It doesn't even have a name because Crane is one of those writers who didn't do that (grrr argh). But let's stop beating around the pudding, here it is:

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said: "Is it good friend?"
"It is bitter-bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter
And because it is my heart."

Isn't that the best piece of writing you have ever read? I didn't know 19th century poets had it in them to write something like this. His style struck me as very unusual for the time but that might be because I was mostly exposed to the romantics of that century and their fallout, and it was mostly school that made me read poems from that era. So it might be my lack of knowing poetry but his approach to writing struck me as very modern, very unusual for the time. He often lashes out at God and faith which again surprised me for a writer of his time. He equally lashes out at the ladies who did not return his feelings those were a bit less impressive to me. Then he has these striking pieces of slight surrealism similar to my aforementioned darling (though never as good again). I had quite the time with this assembly of writings. He occasionally uses some darker imagery which definitely appeals to me as a Horror fan and I can honestly see myself rereading this at some point. If I want something a little wacky that still has a classic feel to it.

And to leave you with a bit of a taste of his spiel, read this:

You tell me this is God?
I tell you this is a printed list,
A burning candle and an ass.

Just one more because it is also to good not to share, he seems to be a bit of nihilist. I feel like I need this one on a T-shirt:

A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist."
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation".

Now, a list of the other poems that stood out to me: There was crimson clash of war/ I saw a man pursuing the horizon/ I stood upon a highway/ I was in the Darkness/ Many devil ran from my heart/ With eye and with gesture/ A little ink more or less/ Fast rode the knight/ A man adrift on a slim spar/ There is a grey thing that lives in the tree-tops/ Bottles and bottles and bottles/

[Myke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though i be credential-less, Crane is the best to me. i could read this collection forever.

XXXIX
The livid lightnings flashed in the clouds;
The leaden thunders crashed.
A worshipper raised his arm.
"Hearken! Hearken! The voice of God!"
"Not so," said a man.
"The voice of God whispers in the heart
So softly
That the soul pauses,
Making no noise,
And strives for these melodies,
Distant, sighing, like faintest breath,
And all the being is still to hear."

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crane shows a wonderful grasp of human dignity amid great trial. His fictional Red Badge of Courage hints at his genius for converting misery into noble precepts; but in War Is Kind he brings the art of language crashing into the realness of life and living. Crane is perhaps the greatest American poet never read. It's too bad. His work is challenging and refreshing, all at the same time. Good stuff.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Crane's poetry was a balm to my soul at one time. I carried the following poem around with me for years until it finally disintegrated in my wallet:

"Think as I think," said a man,
"Or you are abominably wicked;
You are a toad."
And after I had thought of it,
I said, "I will, then, be a toad."

[Christan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fancy myself a poet. I've churned out page after page of self-importance and angst. But then I go back and reread the master of the style that I vainly attempt to imitate - Stephen Crane. And I remember that I am just a little man, living in my little corner of the world, casting arrows at the sun, like some kind of 21st century Nimrod.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Crane is one of my favorite poets. He's got this really visceral way of baring a subject down to the bare bone and pinning the wriggling beast to a board and defining it in just a few simple words.

[Krystal Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crane's economical approach to language offers all the potency of great literary art in brief, laconic poems. Precise, fast-flowing (often epigrammatic), here is a writer who artfully cuts into the heart of what he means without a word to waste.

[Tayib · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Man Said to the Universe

A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crane uses striking images and short fables to depict humans as biological animals in a meaningless world.

[Caitlin Conlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read ‘Maggie: A Girl of the Streets’ in college, but have never read anything else by Crane until now.

His poems were interesting, though by the end of this collection they all felt a little one note. It’s a shame Crane died so young, because I would be curious to see where his voice would’ve gone or how it might’ve developed over time.

This is perhaps a little nitpicky, but I thought the constant quotation marks around new lines of dialogue (which were often only one line each) was distracting and a bit annoying to slog through as a reader. It’s poetry! You don’t have to be so proper!

There were a few gems in here, and I’m glad to have read this, but I don’t know if this is a collection I’ll be returning to often.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Onvan : Complete Poems of Stephen Crane - Nevisande : Stephen Crane - ISBN : 0801491304 - ISBN13 : 9780801491306 - Dar 154 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1899

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

People usually don't recognize Crane as a poet [he also wrote The Red Badge of Courage and The Open Boat]. His poems read like short, stark proverbs...not all of them are terribly poetic, but most include vivid images.

Here's one:

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
"It is futile," I said,
"You can never--"

"You lie," he cried,
And ran on.


And part of another:

A lad and a maid in a canoe,
And a paddle making silver turmoil

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Poets
Some of these are witty,
Some are bitter.
Many are Beautiful:

Should the wide world roll away,
Leaving black terror,
Limitless night,
Nor God, nor man, nor place to stand
Would be to me essential,
If thou and thy white arms were there,
And the fall to doom a long way.

Find a better love poem thenthat.

[Alexei · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was amazed to learn that Stephen Crane was a poet. Red Badge of Courage...good stuff...blah blah blah. But his poems reveal another world of his creative genius. Usually very short, very vivid and visceral, this was great stuff when I was 17.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the introduction suggests, more like parables than poems. In the context of his times, these are outrageously different. Seen from a century later, they are less striking of course, but also less moving. The dark "visions" of a young man who had seen much.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only book of poetry I own and reread on a regular basis.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crane is my favorite poet.
What else can I say?

[Dragonfly0628 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among many others not to be missed...do yourself a favor and read "The Heart."

[Adam Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really not that much of a "poetry" guy, but I do really like these. Short, dark and bitter... just how I would like my coffee... if I drank that nasty stuff.

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”

[Jessica]

Expressions of bitter love and brutal honesty

[Dug Ii · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book of poetry that I own. I have owned this for years and to this day his style blows me away.